Boom assemblies are commonly used on agricultural vehicles or applicators or implements, such as sprayers or planters, to dispense seed, fertilizer, insecticide, herbicide, etc. and other miscellaneous agricultural materials. The typical boom assembly is configured to pivot or fold between operative and inoperative positions relative to the boom support vehicle. In its operative position, the boom assembly commonly extends in a laterally outward direction from the boom support vehicles to a distance of ninety-feet or so such that the agricultural applicator covers a large surface area with each pass across a field. The weight of the boom assembly generally correlates with its operative length.
Upon completing distribution of the agricultural materials to the field, the boom assemblies are typically configured to swing, pivot or fold to a retracted, inoperative position. The preferred folded, inoperative position of the boom assembly is generally parallel to the direction of travel of the support vehicle such that the boom assemblies and support vehicle have a narrow profile for transport from the field and on a roadway. Folding or swinging the boom assemblies is typically performed manually or by a hydraulic system mounted between the boom assemblies and the boom support vehicle. Before transport, the boom assemblies are generally positioned in or on a boom cradle or saddle structure such that the boom assemblies are supported for travel on the roadway.
Although boom assemblies are commonly employed on agricultural vehicles and implements, known boom carrying vehicles or implements have drawbacks when transporting the folded boom assemblies. For example, when traveling on roadway in the inoperative, folded position, the boom assembly is known to bounce on the cradle structure. In fact, the boom assemblies can bounce out of the cradle structure, increasing potential opportunities for damage to the boom assembly and/or the cradle structure.
Boom lock assemblies are known, but their use presents other problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,648 discloses an apparatus for locking a spray boom assembly that includes a pneumatic cylinder assembly configured to extend and retract a boom cradle frame structure in a horizontal direction between locked and unlocked positions. A drawback of this known locking apparatus is that it occupies a wide profile or space extending outward from the sides of the boom carrying vehicle. Another drawback of this known boom lock apparatus is that it requires use of large pneumatic cylinder to move a complex cradle support structures both to an from the locked and unlocked positions relative to the boom.
Therefore, there is a need or desire for enhanced boom lock assembly for restraining/locking a boom in a cradle structure for transport on the roadway. The boom lock assembly should be configured to be utilized with wide variety of boom carrying agricultural vehicles, applicators, and implements.